[Kamen Rider Die]

MASKED RIDER RYUKI EPISODE 47



It's not easy to do a storyline like Shinji's. He's got an impossible choice to make, to kill Ren or let Yui die, and his only real option is to not make the choice. That's a tough thing to dramatize. It can come off as repetition (half of Ren's storyline), cowardice (it is a very weepy Shinji in this episode), or stalling for time (he's probably not going to kill anyone). It's a testament to how rich the characterization is, how strong the acting is, and how smart the writing is that this still manages to be a pretty compelling installment of There Are No Good Choices For Shinji.

And it's totally Shinji's episode. Ren exists on the sidelines, worried about Shinji but unable to convincingly muster an argument against killing. (I'd love to see it, though. It would either be poignant or hilarious, and I'm good with either.) Yui's around, typically marginalized as others fight and suffer on her behalf, but she serves a crucial role in the end. Everyone else is in little bits and pieces, asking questions that'll be answered later. (If you assume that I wasn't into Yui and Ren's trip back to Mirror Mansion, +2 Rider Points and Shotaro Hidari commends your deductive insight. Please adjust your TokuNation scorecards accordingly. I will say that I perked up for half a second when I thought the boat in Yui's photo was the Akatsuki-gou from Agito, but it's definitely not. Unless!) It's nice to see everyone check in, this close to the finale, but this episode's entirely about Shinji's dilemma.

Every time Shinji gets Ren on the ropes, he hesitates. The consequences of his choices overwhelm him, cripple him. So he opts to stop overthinking it, stop torturing himself and worrying his friends, and just go with his gut and murder the other Riders to save Yui. Easy peasy!

Except, y'know, Shinji's not really a killer deep inside, this is not a snap decision, and he's coming apart at the seams because of it. His enthusiasm is too forced, his casual way of challenging someone to a death-duel is wildly out of character, and it's all so uncomfortable to watch. It's classic Shinji but inverted, broken.

Even when he wants to fight, the universe pushes back, refusing to give him an outlet or an excuse. Kitaoka won't fight him, dealing with his own nagging conscience, and tips off Ren and Yui to Shinji's slow collapse. A quick monster wrap-up later, It's time for Shinji to see if he can choke down his misgivings and save Yui.

I love the ending to this story. It's 100% Ryuki and 100% Kamen Rider. Shinji has Ren on the ground, he's got Sword Vent, he can take out Ren and move one step closer to saving Yui, but Yui's there to shut it all down. She tells Shinji that saving her this way won't make her happy, and that stops Shinji cold. It's the Rider thing of, not saving people, but protecting smiles. It doesn't matter if Shinji saves Yui's life, if she's miserable because of it. And it's not Shinji if he doesn't care about that. Ren's fine destroying himself and making Eri sad, so long as Eri is alive to be sad. Shinji, he can't do that. He can suffer a lot to help people, to save Yui, but he can't break her heart. He can't take away her smile. I think that's a really lovely ending.

Centering the final string of episodes on this dilemma for Shinji, I think it's the best move the show could make. The machinations of plot, some dumbass Time Limit from Shiro or whatever, I don't care that much. But basing your finale in character, grounding it in moral choices, I love it. Super compelling.